What I Learned About Climbing and Life at Enchanted Rock
Climbing at 35: a late start but a perfect beginning at Enchanted Rock
I’m 35 years old and I climbed for the first time yesterday. For as long as I can remember, climbing has been something I’ve always wanted to do. Why did it take me so long to take the figurative and literal leap? That’s a good question that I’ll get into later, but I firmly believe everything happens how and when it’s supposed to. What made it even more special is that it happened at my favorite place in Texas—Enchanted Rock. My family and I—mostly my dad and I—would hike and camp there a lot when I was growing up.
The place is aptly named. It has always inspired imagination and curiosity in me. There are so many fascinating tales about the place. Early Native Americans believed it was haunted and powerful due to the creaking and groaning that comes from the rock as a result of temperature changes, and the way it glistens in certain conditions. Covering 640 acres and standing 425 feet high, it’s the largest pink granite rock in the United States. Visiting it never got old. There was always a new nook and cranny to explore. It might actually be when I was first exposed to climbing. Each time I reached the summit or hiked the loop trail and saw the climbers on the back side of the rock, I wished I could be one of them.
There were many times I almost signed up for courses at various climbing gyms in Northern Virginia, but a recent conversation with a new friend who used to climb left me with the thought: “Well, why don’t I just do it?” I think a lot of the choices I’ve made in life in the last couple of years have helped free me of whatever prior reservations or inhibitions I had. This new friend pointed me toward Rock-About, and I didn’t look back.
Lessons from the rock: trust, strategy, and embracing a learner's mindset
The day was maybe the most fun I’ve ever had outside, and I already loved the outdoors. While the excitement of it is probably what drew me to it, it’s not the only thing that left me wanting more. Climbing taught or at least reinforced so many things for me.
Trust. This is the big one. On the surface, it simply means trust your partner, your gear, and the techniques, but this one strikes even deeper for me. Trust that timing and life will happen as it’s meant to. Trust the people in your life who are there to support you and be willing to be vulnerable with them. “Take” is the command you give your partner to essentially take or support your weight if you don’t know where to move next or run out of steam. That was a hard one for me. I’ve often tried to “go it alone” in life, but that’s not what this sport is about, and it’s not what life is about either.
Strategy and efficiency. This sport is not about power. I’ve often learned things the hard way. At first, I found myself wanting to rush through—get to the top, the finish line, as soon as possible—but not only does that take some of the fun out of it, but it’s often simply not possible. As our guide said, it’s like solving a puzzle, and even if you do the same route several times, you’ll find new and more efficient ways to put that puzzle together each time. I found myself pausing to assess the situation or to try different techniques, and found myself enjoying the process so much more when I did.
You’re never too old to be a beginner. This ties back to trusting the timing of life, but I wanted to mention it separately because I feel like this is so often a subconscious barrier that prevents us from really growing as individuals. Many of us believe it’s important to approach life with a learner’s mindset, but we don’t think about what that entails, which is being willing to make mistakes and fail, and potentially embarrass ourselves in the eyes of others. Until we embrace that, we can’t really learn what we’re meant to. We can’t really learn the things that having a learner’s mindset is all about.
Trust timing
One of the reasons it took me so long to sign up for my first climbing course was that pesky subconscious thought—there’s always another time. Another reason was the flip side of that… if I didn’t learn when I was younger, I missed my chance. I’m quickly realizing that if I don’t do the things I’ve always wanted to do, before I know it, I’ll be 80 with so many regrets and unfulfilled dreams. I’m done with those limiting beliefs. I’ll now be living with an “it’s never too late” and “I don’t have a moment to spare” mentality. My dreams are waiting for me, and so are yours.
